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• cardigan
  cardigan

  noun

  a usually collarless knitted sweater or jacket that opens down the front.
• Cardigan
  Cardigan

  noun

  Cardiganshire.

cardigan

¹ American  

[kahr-di-guhn] / ˈkɑr dɪ gən /

noun

• cardigans
  plural

1. a usually collarless knitted sweater or jacket that opens down the front.

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Cardigan ² American  

[kahr-di-guhn] / ˈkɑr dɪ gən /

noun

1. Cardiganshire.

2. one of a variety of Welsh corgi having a long tail.

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Cardigan ¹ British  

/ ˈkɑːdɪɡən /

noun

1. the larger variety of corgi, having a long tail

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Cardigan ² British  

/ ˈkɑːdɪɡən /

noun

1. 7th Earl of, title of James Thomas Brudenell. 1797–1868, British cavalry officer. He led the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava (1854) during the Crimean War.

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cardigan ³ British  

/ ˈkɑːdɪɡən /

noun

1. a knitted jacket or sweater with buttons up the front

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cardigans
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cardigan

First recorded in 1865–70; named after J. T. Brudnell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797–1868), British cavalryman of Crimean War fame

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Explanation

A cardigan is a sweater that opens in front. Your favorite cardigan might have pearl buttons and pockets. Unlike a sweater that you pull on over your head, a cardigan is shrugged on over the shoulders and buttons, zips, or snaps up the front — or is worn open, with no fasteners at all. During the Crimean War in the 1800s, English general James Thomas Brudenell's troops wore jackets that opened in front, and since he was the 7th Earl of Cardigan, these garments — and future open-front sweaters — were known as cardigans.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cardigan Cardigan cardigans

Come Sunday, Raman, wearing jeans and a chartreuse cardigan, was greeting bike riders at a Sawtelle coffee shop and speaking to a phone bank group at UCLA.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

The model riffs on Bessette’s minimalist look, wearing red lipstick, a simple gray cardigan and black pants.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026

Wednesday's Instagram post showed a picture of Van Der Beek wearing a white top and cardigan.

From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026

Traitor Rachel opted for bright coloured knitwear in the final episode of the series too, wearing a £350 pink and red cardigan, also from Hope Macaulay.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026

I hated her clothes—the blue pastel cardigan, the white blouse with the collar that lay flat over the cardigan, the homemade flat, cotton skirt she wore when everybody else was wearing flared skirts.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston

Corinna Baker, 21, was found at Netpool Boat Yard in Cardigan, Ceredigion, in November last year.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

The second part honors David Rhys Jones, a schoolteacher at Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi in Cardigan, Wales, who taught the study's lead author.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 21, 2026

One of the women who contacted Tirion was Lorraine Beattie, who also said she was spiked while at a birthday drinks in a pub in Cardigan.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026

At the highest end are boarding schools such as Cardigan Mountain, where repeating a grade for academic, emotional or other reasons has been common for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

So, in another year or two, would the "Montgomery," the "Cardigan," Ham-and-Egg Terrace.

From Mushroom Town by Oliver Onions

Tonight’s book club is Eastern European-themed, prompting the women to wear red cardigans and dresses.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

Fans flocked to theaters in Swift-themed merchandise, sporting cardigans and orange clothing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2025

Her room echoed with signs of a life well lived - a proud career, foreign holidays with her loving family, an immaculately curated wardrobe of cashmere cardigans.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025

That compares to a 7.6% increase in 2022, Deloitte said, when high inflation drove up prices for everything from Christmas cardigans and toys to home appliances.

From Reuters ● Sep. 13, 2023

She’s one of those older teachers who wear cardigans and clunky shoes and are big into “classroom etiquette.”

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

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